How food insecurity may trigger loss-of-control eating in college students
Testing a Dual-Process Mechanistic Model Linking Food Insecurity and Loss-of-Control Eating
This project explores whether not having enough food and worries about body shape or money lead to episodes of loss-of-control eating in undergraduate students.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Las Vegas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Las Vegas, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11371398 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will ask undergraduate students to report day-to-day experiences of food access, financial stress, body-shape or weight worries, and any episodes of loss-of-control eating using short surveys or phone prompts over time. They'll analyze these repeated reports to see how daily changes in money or food concerns and body-image pressures relate to binge-like eating and academic functioning. The team will use questionnaires and within-person (repeated-measures) methods to map feedback loops between financial stress and traditional eating-disorder pathways. The goal is to identify when and for whom these patterns are strongest so better supports can be designed.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Undergraduate students who have experienced food insecurity or who notice episodes of loss-of-control eating or strong body-shape/weight concerns.
Not a fit: People who are not college students or who do not experience food insecurity or eating-related concerns are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform better-targeted prevention and treatment strategies for eating problems among food-insecure students.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has linked food insecurity to higher rates of eating-disorder symptoms, but using day-to-day within-person methods to test these dual pathways in undergraduates is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Las Vegas, United States
- University of Nevada Las Vegas — Las Vegas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Christensen Pacella, Kara Alise — University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Study coordinator: Christensen Pacella, Kara Alise
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.